COMET ISON REAPPEARS DECEMBER 25TH IN THE NIGHT SKY! Where to find it in your sky

TONIGHT FORDECEMBER 25, 2013

Moon, Mars out between midnight and dawn on December 26

Starting around December 25, Comet ISON will be circumpolar – out all night long – as seen from mid-northern and far-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Although this comet is dimming day by day, it’ll also appear higher in the northern sky. But you’ll probably need binoculars to see our fading companion.

Comet ISON appears rather low in the north-northwest sky at nightfall, sinks downward during the evening hours until reaching its nadir (lowest point for the night) in the northern sky around 10 p.m. local time. This comet starts to climb upward again at late night and is found high in the northeast before dawn.

Comet ISON before dawn

Look for Comet Ison in the northeast sky before dawn.

Are you familiar with the Little Dipper? Or the two brightest stars in the constellation Draco the Dragon: Eltanin and Rastaban? These stellar signposts will help you to star-hop to Comet Ison.

Big and Little Dippers: Everything you need to know

Eltanin and Rastaban: Dragon’s Eyes

Polaris, the North Star, marks the end of the Little Dipper handle. Many people use the Big Dipper to find Polaris. Unfortunately, the Big Dipper sits close to the horizon at nightfall and early evening, though it’ll be quite visible in the northeast sky by late evening. If you can find the bright star Capella and its constellation Auriga in the eastern sky at nightfall, you can star-hop to Polaris by extending an imaginary line from Theta Aurigae (abbreviated Theta on sky chart) and past Menkalinan.

If you can’t find the Big Dipper at nightfall, try using the constellation Auriga as your guide to Polaris, the North Star

After dark or before dawn, you can also use the Summer Triangle to hop over to the Dragon’s eyes: the stars Eltanin and Rastaban. Draw an imaginary line from the star Altair and beyond the star Vega to locate Eltanin and Rastaban, as displayed on the sky chart below. For the next few evenings – on December 25 and 26 – draw a line from Eltanin through Rastaban, going 3 to 4 times the Eltanin/Rastaban distance, to locate Comet ISON.

Are you familiar with the Summer Triangle? If so, draw an imaginary line from the star Altair and past the star Vega to locate the Dragon’s Eyes, Eltanin and Rastaban.

Starting this evening, see if you can catch Comet Ison as it climbs higher in the northern sky each night!